


Of Ruins and Blessings

by dazeful



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Bad imitation of a scottish accent, Exploring, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21759103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazeful/pseuds/dazeful
Summary: Callum was not expecting to be woken up at the crack of dawn, nor was he expecting to be drug across Xadia. But, life isn't always what you expect when you live with an elf.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Kudos: 77





	Of Ruins and Blessings

Raindrops splashed against Callum’s face, the cool water a welcome relief against his flushed skin. The boy had been traipsing across the Xadian countryside all morning and the better half of the afternoon, taking no stops to rest or eat. Rayla had woken him early this morning, throwing a backpack on his stomach and told him to  _ wake up!  _

The elfen girl had led him away from the Dragon Queen’s home and into the forest. When Callum had asked him where they were going, Rayla had simply told him to shut up and keep moving. The duo had trekked through the woods and past rolling hills. Under natural bridges and past elf villages. The rain had started an hour ago, cold and unrelenting. A bit like Rayla, Callum mused. 

It was only when the two reached the base of a sizable mountain, did Rayla allow Callum to stop and catch his breath. “Here we are!” The elf turned towards Callum, raising her voice above the melody of the rain. “Rest yerself for a moment, then we’ll keep goin’.” 

Callum looked up at the mountain, shielding his eyes from the downpour. He cupped his hands and took a few deep gulps of water. Rayla watched him from a couple paces away, donning a soft smile. They didn’t dally long, Callum was only able to steal a few minutes of time seated on the ground before Rayla stalked over and pulled him up. 

“Right, here we go.” She gestured towards a shallow opening in the mountain, “Through here.”

Darkness and muffled rain was the only thing Callum could make out when he stepped into the cave. At once he started to panic, hands trying to find purchase on the rock walls, voice calling out for Rayla. 

“Here, Callum.” Rayla placed a hand on Callum’s lower back. “Let me get in front of ya.” The two switched positions, and Rayla urged the human forward.

Soon, Callum realized that the path in the cave was arching up and to the right. There were steps here, too, as though someone had lived here before. As the boy ran his hand along the wall he felt something carved into it, like a picture or some sort of language. He asked Rayla, but she told him to wait. This confused Callum, what could he be waiting for?

Farther and farther up they went, until light could be seen coming through a gap in the wall. Rayla intertwined her hand with Callum’s and pulled him through it. 

A hand went up to block the sudden light. Callum let his eyes adjust, then he assessed his surroundings. What he saw took his breath away. 

There was a room hollowed out in the mountain side, vast and full of natural light. A pool of water separates them from an island in the center of the water, trees grew out of the water and leaves floated lazily on top of the pool. The island was covered in greenery, and what looked like ruins of some forgotten civilization. Callum was in awe, mouth hanging open and eyes full of stars.

“Close yer mouth, gonna catch flies at tha’ rate!” Rayla laughed, a lovely sound like chimes in the spring wind. “Behold! The ruins o’ Midsalen!” She looked proud of herself, her gaze waited for Callum’s reaction. 

Callum started to pace, hands on his hips. “How did you ever find something so perfect? Have you been here before? Who lived here? And w𑁋”

“All righ’ Callum, calm down now.” Rayla gestured to the backpack that Callum wore. “This was a tale from a children’s book, wasn’t sure if it was even real to begin with.” She sat on the smooth, stone ground and started to tug her shoes off. “That’s really all I kno’. Come now, we've got some swimmin’ to do.” Off came Rayla’s shoes, necklace, coat, and other little things that would hinder her movement in the water. He did the same, shrugging off his shirt, shoes, and scarf. They packed the shed clothes into their packs and started to the edge of the water. 

Together they waded into the water, backpacks held on top of their heads as to not let any water reach their belongings. Little fish brushed against he ankles, inspiring tiny shivers to flow their his body.

To Callum’s surprise, the pool was only a few feet deep the entire way, their upper bodies staying mostly dry. They reached the other side in mere minutes. 

“You okay? I know you don’t like the water.”

“Aye, ‘m fine.” The elf shook herself off like a wet dog, tiny drops hitting Callum’s bare skin like the drizzle of rain. “I’d cross th’ ocean for ya, Callum.” Rayla smiled, a big, toothy smile full of warmth that made Callum’s heart flutter.

A light crimson stained his face, he coughed out a quiet  _ thanks.  _ Rayla was someone who loved with her entire being. She was a forest fire, burning through him and consuming him completely, and sometimes it scared Callum, how she could love so deeply. 

And if Rayla was the forest fire, then Callum was the sapling that sprouted from the ashes. New and wary, not sure what he was doing, or if he was even doing it right. 

Forgotten ruins covered the little island. Stones submerged in the mud, crumpling walls covered in ivy. Hollow buildings and faded statues. This place wasn’t sad, though, in fact Callum felt a sense of calm wash over him when he stepped into the abandoned city. 

From somewhere came a breeze, which ruffled the leaves of nearby greenery and created a symphony of whispers. Callum shivered as the air hit his wet skin, but he was a good kind of cold. The kind that made him feel alive. 

Callum fished around in the packs for the lunch the elf had packed while Rayla lit a fire. She had packed a meal of sandwiches, nuts, and dried fruits. The sandwiches contained  roasted vegetables, ones Callum did not recognize, on top of hard, herbal bread with a dollop of some sort of creamy sauce, and topped with cold, melted cheese. When Callum bit into one he nearly cried, the flavor that burst across his tongue was rich and smoky, better than anything he had tasted before. “Ra’la ‘ts so gud!” The boy spoke, mouth still full. 

“Glad ya like it.” That warm smile bloomed across her face once more, a vision of the summer sun. “Come sit by th’ fire.” She patted the empty space beside her. 

Callum shuffled over to where Rayla was sitting and leaned against her. She ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his neck to braid it and𑁋

_ “Oh, Callum.”  _

He started and tried to turn towards her, but she held his face forward. “Rayla?”

“Your neck, Callum, I didn’t kno’ it was this bad.”

_ The scars.  _ “Ah, they don’t really hurt anymore. I mean, one of the healers closed the wound up, they just couldn’t get the scars to fade.” 

Six raised areas of skin, tinged a pale pink. A result of Kasef’s claws scratching through his neck, burning through his flesh. Callum remembered the burn, the scorching heat of Kasef’s claws as they dug into his neck. He remembered how his vision became dark with the lack of oxygen, how he struggled to breath. And he remembered the blood. The blood that sizzled on burning claws and how it ran down his back.

Rayla made a keening noise low in her throat. “I should’ve been there. If I had been there, I would have stopped him.  _ If I had been there, you wouldn’t have been hurt _ .” Her grip on him tightened. “What if you had died? How would I have lived?”

“I𑁋”

The elf cut him off. “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”

Callum scoffed. “Don’t. Don’t try and blame yourself for this.” The human maneuvered himself to face the girl, he held her face in his hands and squished her cheeks. “I’m  _ fine _ . It’s not your fault, you were protecting Zym and his mother.” Callum squinted at her. “Besides, I can take care of myself just fine. I would’ve beaten him myself if Queen Aanya would’ve given me a few more seconds.” A nervous laugh escaped him. 

Rayla sighed and turned Callum back around.

“Hey what are y𑁋”

Featherlight touches met the back of Callum’s neck. Rayla planted a kiss on each scar. “There. A blessin’. With me round, ya won’t be gettin’ anymore of those.” She pulled him into a tight embrace before standing up. A hand was offered to Callum. 

“Now, we have some explorin’ to do, aye?”

**Author's Note:**

> Just something short I wrote after I finished the new season. Probably a bit OOC whoops


End file.
